Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 20

Money is not an issue

“Money is not an issue,” Prabhupada used to say, and it’s so true. That money is just hanging there in the sky, you just have to put your hand out and take it. He said, “I can give you so many schemes.”

Adbhuta Hari Dasa, The Jolly Swami, p. 1086

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Devotees must preach; it helps them too

“If a living entity is developed in Krsna consciousness and is merciful to others, and if his spiritual knowledge of self-realization is perfect, he will immediately attain liberation from the bondage of material existence.”

PURPORT
In this verse the words daya jivesu, meaning mercy to other living entities, indicates that a living entity must be merciful to other living entities if he wishes to make progress in self-realization. This means he must preach this knowledge after perfecting himself and understanding his own position as an eternal servant of Krsna. Preaching this is showing real mercy to living entities. Other types of humanitarian work may be temporarily beneficial for the body, but because a living entity is spirit soul, ultimately one can show him real mercy only by revealing knowledge of his spiritual existence. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, jivera ‘svarupa’ haya-krsnera ‘nitya-dasa.’ [Cc Madhya 20.108]. “Every living entity is constitutionally a servant of Krsna.” One should know this fact perfectly and should preach it to the mass of people. If one realizes that he is an eternal servant of Krsna but does not preach it, his realization is imperfect. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura therefore sings, dusta mana, tumi kisera vaisnava? pratisthara tare, nirjanera ghare, tava hari-nama kevala kaitava. “My dear mind, what kind of Vaisnava are you? Simply for false prestige and a material reputation you are chanting the Hare Krsna mantra in a solitary place.” In this way people who do not preach are criticized. There are many Vaisnavas in Vrndavana who do not like preaching; they chiefly try to imitate Haridasa Thakura. The actual result of their so-called chanting in a secluded place, however, is that they sleep and think of women and money. Similarly, one who simply engages in temple worship but does not see to the interests of the mass of people, or cannot recognize devotees, is called a kanistha-adhikari:

arcayam eva haraye
pujam yah sraddhayehate
na tad-bhaktesu canyesu
sa bhaktah prakrtah smrtah
(SB 11.2.47)

A devotee who faithfully engages in the worship of the Deity in the temple but does not behave properly toward other devotees or people in general is called a prakrta-bhakta, a materialistic devotee, and is considered to be in the lowest position.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.29.1b, rendered by Srila Prabhupada

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The Lord has inaugurated this movement to benefit human society

Whenever the principles of religion deteriorate and the principles of irreligion increase, the supreme controller, the Personality of Godhead Sri Hari, appears by His own will.

In the present age, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has appeared as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to inaugurate the Hare Krsna movement. At the present time, in Kali-yuga, people are extremely sinful and bad…. They have no idea of spiritual life and are misusing the benefits of the human form to live like cats and dogs. Under these circumstances Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has inaugurated the Hare Krsna movement, which is not different from Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one associates with this movement, he directly associates with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. People should take advantage … and thus gain relief from all the problems created in this Age of Kali.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.24.56, translation and purport extracts by Srila Prabhupada

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Srila Prabhupada on hellish London

London, hellish — always moist, raining and cloudy. You cannot distinguish whether it is night or day. Now I was in London. When I was, I think, last year, in this time, December, the morning was at ten o’clock, and the evening was at three o’clock. Five hours day. And nineteen hours night. So of course, I was rising, as usual, early in the morning. So I wanted to go out. So I couldn’t go out before half-past nine to the Regent Park. And it was full of snow and ice, and it is very difficult to walk.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.6 — November 6, 1970, Bombay

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The purpose of installing Krsna-Balarama in Vrindavan

We are expending so much money for installing Krsna-Balarama here. What is this purpose? The purpose is that you will be able to see Him present in this temple, and therefore you can think of Him. That is very natural. If you see the Deity always, then you get His picture impressed within your mind, and if you always think of Him, then you see Him within your mind.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on SB 1.7.6 — Vrindavan, April 18, 1975

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All-good Lord Ramacandra

SB 9.10.54

TRANSLATION
Lord Ramacandra took a vow to accept only one wife and have no connection with any other women. He was a saintly king, and everything in His character was good, untinged by qualities like anger. He taught good behavior for everyone, especially for householders, in terms of varnasrama-dharma. Thus He taught the general public by His personal activities.

PURPORT
Eka-patni-vrata, accepting only one wife, was the glorious example set by Lord Ramacandra. One should not accept more than one wife. In those days, of course, people did marry more than one wife. Even Lord Ramacandra’s father accepted more wives than one. But Lord Ramacandra, as an ideal king, accepted only one wife, mother Sita. When mother Sita was kidnapped by Ravana and the Raksasas, Lord Ramacandra, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, could have married hundreds and thousands of Sitas, but to teach us how faithful He was to His wife, He fought with Ravana and finally killed him. The Lord punished Ravana and rescued His wife to instruct men to have only one wife. Lord Ramacandra accepted only one wife and manifested sublime character, thus setting an example for householders. A householder should live according to the ideal of Lord Ramacandra, who showed how to be a perfect person. Being a householder or living with a wife and children is never condemned, provided one lives according to the regulative principles of varnasrama-dharma. Those who live in accordance with these principles, whether as householders, brahmacaris or vanaprasthas, are all equally important.

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A brahmana worships Lord Rama

One brahmana was daily seeing Lord Ramacandra and then he was breaking his fast. So Ramacandra was out of station for some royal business. So this brahmana did not take even water seven days. When Ramacandra returned, Laksmana informed Lord Ramacandra, “Here is Your devotee, My Lord. Because You were absent for seven days and he could not see You, therefore he did not take even water.” Ramacandra appreciated his devotion. Before Lord Ramacandra there was Sita-Rama Deity worshiped in the family of Dasaratha Maharaja’s family. That Deity was kept in the room of Lord Ramacandra because Lord Ramacandra was personally present. He advised Laksmana that “Give this brahmana this Deity.” And He advised him, “Brahmana, you worship this Deity, and when I am not in the station, your worshiping the Deity is as good as worshiping Me.” The Deity worship is so long going on. That Ramacandra Deity is still here in South India.

So there is no difference between the Deity and the Lord. They’re the same. Even this chanting of the name of the Lord is the same.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 7.1 — August 22, 1976, Hyderabad

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Equal treatment for all

We know that he is servant of Krsna. Forgetting Krsna, he’s thinking himself as Turkish, as Muhammadan, as Jewish, as Christian. This is his disease. So let me cure his disease. Why he should be called yavana? That is artificial. He’s krsna-dasa. Jivera svarupa haya nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108]. Just like when a physician treats a patient, does he think that “Here is a Christian,” “Here is a Muhammadan,” “Here is a Hindu”? He takes as patient, never mind what he is, and he gives treatment. He never thinks that “Here is a Christian patient,” “Here is a Muhammadan patient.” He is patient. “Give me this. Bring him medicine.” That is physician’s business. Why should we consider, “Here is a Christian patient. He should be treated differently than the Muhammadan patient”? Does he think like that? Does he think? Does any physician honestly think that “Here is a Christian patient. Special care should be taken for him”? No. If he is a physician, he should give equal treatment to everyone.

Srila Prabhupada; Conversation, 6 Sep 1976

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Neophytes worship deities, criticize authorized preachers

A prakrta devotee, or neophyte devotee, is still on the material platform. He certainly engages in worshiping the Deity, but he cannot appreciate the activities of a pure devotee. It has actually been seen that even an authorized devotee who is engaged in the service of the Lord by preaching the mission of Krsna consciousness is sometimes criticized by neophyte devotees. Such neophytes are described by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura: sarva-prani-sammananasamarthanam avajna spardhadimatam tu bhagavat-pratimaiva patram ity aha. For those who cannot properly appreciate the activities of authorized devotees, Deity worship is the only way for spiritual advancement. In the Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya 7.11) it is clearly said, krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana: without being authorized by Krsna, one cannot preach the holy name of the Lord throughout the entire world. Nevertheless, a devotee who does so is criticized by neophyte devotees, kanistha-adhikaris, who are on the lower stages of devotional service. For them, Deity worship is strongly recommended.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 7.14.39, ppt.

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Man’s business, woman’s business

You see here that all young girls are carrying water, collecting. In the morning collecting water, cleansing the house, utensils, clothes, taking bath, then cooking, those girls. Their first business. Man’s business is to earn money, go to the market, the necessities. Woman’s business is take care of household affairs, children, and they have got engagement. As soon as they allow young girl to mix with young boys—finished.

Srila Prabhupada, Room Conversation, June 28, 1977, Vrindavan

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